Las Vegas Tips

These tips were gathered from the following sources:

• Personal experience from several trips since 1999.
• Tales from friends.
• "Frommer's Portable Las Vegas" (6th edition) frommers.travelocity.com
• www.lasvegas.com once had a link to an annual poll for the best/worst things in Las Vegas. We looked at the 2001 results, but did not take the voting at face value. Instead, we looked to the feedback comments for the real scoop.
• The tons of good information and reviews found on www.cheapovegas.com.
• Messages posted to the alt.vacation.las-vegas newsgroup.
• The highly opinionated remarks on www.bigempire.com/vegas taken with a grain of salt.

The Frommer's guide proved to be well worth the $11 investment. We used it both to plan our trip in advance and as a handy reference to carry everywhere we went. Every one of the Frommer's reviews that we consulted proved to be right on -- especially the ones marked "Finds." (For example, if you are allergic to smoke, be sure look for the casinos that they rated as having a "low claustrophobia level," meaning "high ceilings.") The chapters are divided into sections for South Strip, Mid Strip, North Strip, East of the Strip, and Downtown, so if you are on foot, it's a good way to find out what's going on around you. There is a comprehensive index, so you can still find something by name, even if you don't know what area it is in. The maps in this book aren't very easy to read, however, so be sure to carry a better map as well (see Getting Around). Note that this book does not discuss the Northwest Vegas area, nor the Boulder Strip area.

Enjoy,

// Craig Jones & Friends

Fast Facts

Phone numbers:

• The Las Vegas area code is 702.
• Las Vegas is in the Pacific time zone and observes daylight savings time.
• The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority at 1-800-332-5333 will be happy to mail you their Las Vegas tourist packet.
• The Nevada Commission on Tourism at 1-800-638-2328 will also send you free brochures and maps.

Coupons:

• Go to www.lasvegasadvisor.com/greatdeals-funbooks.cfm for some great information on how to obtain various coupon books.
• http://www.americancasinoguide.com/Promotions/VEGAS-VALUES.shtml

Quotes:

• "No matter where you live, Las Vegas is the exact opposite." ~ Rita Rudner
• "Whatever happens in Unincorporated Clark County stays in Unincorporated Clark County."
• "Perhaps the Las Vegas wedding industry achieved its peak operational efficiency between 9 p.m. and midnight of August 26, 1965, an otherwise unremarkable Thursday that happened to be, by presidential order, the last day on which anyone could improve his draft status merely by getting married." ~ Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem
• Comedian Drew Carey, when asked why so many people dump on Vegas: "I think a lot of people are afraid of freedom."
• "Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died." ~ Steven Wright
• "There is a very easy way to return from a casino with a small fortune: go there with a large one." ~ Jack Yelton
• "The guy who invented poker was bright, but the guy who invented the chip was a genius." ~ Big Julie

Where to Stay

Basic Accommodations:

• The Las Vegas Hilton is a nice place to stay (especially if you are a Star Trek fan), but it is off the Strip by two long blocks that aren't well lit. So, be prepared to pay for monorail rides if you don't have a car. [www.lvhilton.com]
• The Rio hotel and the Palms hotel are even further off the Strip. The Palms caters to the same younger crowd as the Hard Rock.
• The worst place to stay on the Strip is Excalibur, with many tales of rotten experiences. The rule of thumb seems to be that if you don't have young kids in tow, stay well away of the Excalibur and Circus Circus.
• The best "locals hotel" is apparently hands-down the Sunset Station, with Suncoast and Palace Station getting nods as good alternatives. The Orleans and Sam's Town are supposedly good values as well.
• Terrible's, 2 blocks east of the strip, isn't so terrible if you have a car to get around.
• A recent 2 night stay at the Stratosphere was a mixed bag of friendly service in some areas and lousy service in others. Our quite ordinary room with the tiny window was at least clean and boasted a big tub with immediately hot water. Our stay included 2 free tix for the Viva Las Vegas show, and it was worth every penny! But seriously folks, the comedians got a few chuckles out of us with their tried-and-true jokes, and the one showgirl with talent had a beautiful singing voice. If you go, reserve tickets in advance for comfortable booth seating. On the plus side, my non-acrophobic friend says the view from the observation deck is just spectacular. (Hotel guests get free tower admission from 10-2.)
• Last April, we scored big with a "first of the month" package deal at the Flamingo, where they offer up a top-notch experience in all departments. That includes: the breakfast buffet, the live animal garden leading to the gorgeous swimming pools (see below), and the Second City comedy club, just to name a few.
• For our next trip, we booked a geat deal at Arizona Charlie's Decatur. Stay tuned for our review.

Romantic Accommodations:

• The best suites on the Strip are apparently at Treasure Island (which Craig can personally vouch for), Caesars Palace, the Venetian (with some dissent for thin walls), and the Rio (with some dissent about outdated decor, climbing prices and dropping service).
• Our friend's parents have really enjoyed staying in a suite at Caesars Palace, although his mom doesn't understand why anyone would need a television and a phone right next to the commode?!?
• The Travel Channel also recommends the suites at Monte Carlo and Luxor.

Swimming:

• The Flamingo has the best pool area in Las Vegas that we've experienced. It's a fantastic tropical setting that goes on forever. The pools are open year-round, but only one is heated.
• According to www.cheapovegas.com, Mandalay Bay, Tropicana, Hard Rock, and Bellagio also vie for the top spot in Vegas pools.
• Most hotels only allow guests to use their swimming pool facilities, but supposedly a few allow non-guests in for a fee. Ask around.
• The Stratosphere gets our vote for the worst pool area on the strip. Boring!

Note: The hotel swimming pools have severely restricted hours during the off season, which is defined as Labor Day through Memorial Day. For example, during Easter weekend the Las Vegas Hilton pool closed on us at 5pm, even though there was at least another hour of daylight left. Yes, this meant the Jacuzzi, too.

When to Stay

Driving There from Southern California

Try to avoid driving up on Friday afternoon/evening. Same goes for driving back on Sunday afternoon/evening. The traffic is murder. There's an average of one accident each weekend on the I-15 during those "rush hours" and getting stuck behind one could easily add two hours to the commute.

The "Bun Boy" in Baker is a popular place for a pit stop [www.bunboybaker.com 72155 Baker Blvd. (760) 733-4660 Open 24 hours]. It features the world's tallest thermometer, as well as pretty good food (not just burgers). Be sure to grab a coupon for the Star Trek Experience and other LV attractions from the rack in the lobby while you are there. If American food doesn't appeal to you, go for the "Mad Greek" across the street.

If you can't wait until you get to Baker, there's a "Cask and Cleaver" restaurant in Victorville that has good steaks and an excellent salad bar. [13885 Park Ave. (760) 241-7318].

There's a visitor's center at the Gold Strike in Jean, NV, about 20 miles south of Las Vegas on I-15 (half way between Stateline and Vegas at Kingston Rd./route 161). There you will find coupons, maps, magazines like Showbiz and What's On, etc.

Getting Around

Traffic is murder on the Strip pretty much all of the time, especially during the weekends. So, get a map and learn your way around the side streets. To get from one end of the Strip to the other it's much faster to the take I-15 ("the interstate" as the taxi drivers call it).

Maps can be found in some of the free visitor guide publications. The "What's On" guide has a 2-page map of the strip & downtown plus a 2-page map of the surrounding area. The "Las Vegas Style" guide has a 1-page map of the strip with insets for downtown, NW Vegas, and the Boulder Strip. Maps can also be found on-line at www.vegas.com/map.html

Learn where all of the monorails/trams are and take advantage of them:

• The new monorail has 7 stops: MGM Grand, Bally’s/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Imperial Palace/Harrah’s, the Convention Center, the Las Vegas Hilton, and the Sahara [10am-Midnight, prices range from $3 for one ride to $25 for a 3-day pass].
• Treasure Island / Mirage [9am to Midnight, free].
• Luxor / Excalibur / Mandalay Bay [24 hrs, free].
• Monte Carlo / Bellagio [temporarily closed due to construction at Bellagio, free].

Where to Gamble

Go here for an up-to-date list of poker rooms: www.lasvegasadvisor.com/pokerrooms.cfm

The best blackjack tables are apparently at Binion's Horseshoe, the Sahara, and the Rio.

The best place to play slots, video poker, etc. is right at the entrance to the casino where the payouts are set high to generate excitement. The worst places are anywhere where you might be inclined to plop down and wait for someone or something and the payouts are set very low.

Don't play slots at The New York New York. The members of one party in June '03 each played a $20 bill and didn't get a payout of even one single quarter. Go play their carnival games instead.

Jerry’s Nugget (North of Downtown) apparently has really low minimum buy-in rates for bingo.

The Imperial Palace poker room comps poker players $3.00/hr.

Learning How to Gamble

If you have a computer, buy a copy of the Hoyle Casino Games software package ($19 at Costco) and play it in "Hint Mode". Whenever you make a bad move, a hint will pop up and recommend that you do something else. For example, in Blackjack if you try to hit on 15 when the dealer is showing a 10 card, the software will recommend that you surrender instead. This program has all of the casino games and you can tune them with all kinds of options to simulate the rules at different casinos.

The casinos all offer classes on weekday mornings/afternoons, but they only teach the basics -- not necessarily how to win.

The hotel gift shops have books, videos, and crib notes on the various games.

Gambler`s Book Shop
630 South 11th Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101
1-800-522-1777 or 1-800-634-6243

Gambler's General Store
www.gamblersgeneralstore.com
Open 7 days 9am-5pm PST
(702) 382-9903
800 South Main Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101

Eating at the Buffets

Off the Strip:

• The Palms has a huge selection of restaurant quality food (no institutional rice pilaff here) for a great price. It has at least 200 items in it from a variety of culinary styles (Italian, American, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Latvian etc).
• According to www.bigempire.com/vegas, the Orleans buffet is stellar for the price. "This one is a mile off the Strip, but definitely worth seeking out for dinner, where you can chow down for about $10 most nights, and that usually includes crawdads for you headsuckers. The desserts are, unfortunately, mediocre. No pie there is worth sneaking out in your pants. Trust us on this one, we ruined some perfectly good corduroys."
• You should pass on the Rio's buffet, despite what anyone says. It is highly overrated. Eat at the Rio's steakhouse instead. (Note: This is referring to the main buffet. The Rio also has a seafood buffet, but everyone in your party better like seafood because there isn't a single piece of chicken or beef to be had there.)

On the Strip:

• The Aladdin buffet is our new favorite. Just a few of the items that might tempt you to go back for seconds are their stuffed pork roast, the lobster ravioli, the egg rolls, the fruit flambe, and the numerous ways to get your chocolate fix.
• The Sunday Brunch at the Paris buffet is $23 but worth every penny -- great food, wonderful ambiance, and fantastic service. Just don't go on any holidays like Mother's Day or might have to stand in line for 3 hours.
• The Mirage has a pretty good buffet, so don't ever settle for the one at Treasure Island, since you are only minutes away from the Mirage by tram.
• The Mandalay Bay's buffet doesn't kick you out between breakfast and lunch, so go for a late breakfast and then sample the lunch offerings.
• Other recommended buffets on the strip are at the Bellagio and Caesars Palace.

Downtown:

• The Main Street Station Garden Court buffet is a winner. It's inexpensive with very good food and an excellent atmosphere.
• The Golden Nugget buffet is really nice.
• The Lanai Buffet at The Fremont gets a couple of votes, especially for brunch.

Be sure to check the buffet hours and show up at least an hour before closing. Some kick you out and others let you hang around for a while, but in either case you may be disappointed when you try to go back for seconds and they have already started to put away the food.

Fast Food & Coffee Shops

Off the Strip:

• Capriotti's Sandwiches is listed in the Frommer's Guide as a "Find" and we agree. They only serve sandwiches and chips (no burgers or salads), but you can order a side of coleslaw off the menu. [324 W. Sahara Ave., at the north end of the Strip. (702) 474-0229]
• The Hard Rock Hotel offers twilight specials from 4pm-7pm that include a good prime rib, chicken or pasta for $8.

On the Strip:

• Food service in the Harrah's sports book is incredible. Tasty grilled tuna and bratwurst. The napkins are imprinted with "We'll earn your A" and they did. We got there at noon on Saturday and got out in plenty of time to catch the 1 o'clock Mac King show, which was quite entertaining -- definitely one of the better afternoon shows.
• The Calypso's coffee shop at the Tropicana has good food and great service. (Get a coupon from any visitor stand for a free deck of cards and free tickets to the Casino Legends Hall of Fame. When you claim them, you might also get a 2-for-1 coupon for burgers at Calypso's.)
• Way in the back of New York, New York is a section that has food vendors serving out of the street front facades. There's one, called "The Mango Stand" or something like that, that has pretty good fruit smoothies. Upstairs in the arcade section is Nathan's World Famous Hotdogs. They are expensive, but very good.
• Slots A Fun (on the Strip between Circus Circus and Westward Ho) has 99 cent footlong hotdogs.
• Ellis Island (a little casino east of Bally's) has home-brewed root beer and a worthwhile $5 steak special that's not on the menu, so you have to ask for it.

Downtown:

• The $3 chili bowl at Binion's Horseshoe snack bar supposedly makes a satisfying meal, and they have high quality burgers and pastrami sandwiches prepared by friendly chefs.
• The California coffee shop has a prime rib dinner with all the trimmings, including Cherries Jubilee, for $6.
• The Golden Gate has 99 cent shrimp cocktails
• And then there's the Deep Fried Twinkies at the Golden Nugget (not that we've been brave enough to try it).

Restaurants

Steak:

• The steakhouse at the Rio is a beefeater's paradise. It's a way better choice than Lawry's.
• When dining at Mr Lucky's steakhouse at the Hard Rock, be sure to ask about the Gambler's Special which is not on the menu.

Italian:

• The Italian restaurant at the Stratosphere offers a wonderful atmosphere and excellent food that is reasonably priced. Just brace yourself in case your waiter has as much attitude as ours did. If you get the garlic bread (which is fantastic) and a salad or soup, then you may not be able to finish even half of the entree, much less save room for dessert. So consider ordering only one entree per two diners and splitting it up.
• The Market City Cafe at the Monte Carlo has excellent Italian food if you can stand the noisy crowd.

Thai:

• The Thai Garden is worth a short drive. Great atmosphere and service. 5600 Spring Mountain Road, 702-873-9798. It's in a mini-mall just west of Decatur Blvd on the north side of the street (2-1/2 miles west of the Strip).

Peruvian:

• Inka Si Senor gets an A-plus for their food, atmosphere and prices, but a B-minus on service. Their Aji de Gallina (shreaded chicken in a cream sauce) is especially tasty. 2797 S Maryland Parkway, 702-731-0826. Just south of Sahara Ave, on the west side of the street (1-1/2 miles east of the Strip).

Mexican:

• Only in Vegas can you name a Mexican restaurant the "Pink Taco." It's at the Hard Rock Hotel and the food is as tasty as the girls serving it.

Attractions

Free Live Attractions:

• The Tropicana has a free 20-minute show with jugglers and dancers that takes place in the casino four times every afternoon/evening.
• The Masquerade Village area of the Rio's casino has a parade every couple of hours that's suspended overhead (2pm-10pm). Floats go by with dancing characters that throw beads at the crowd.
• It's always fun to drop in at one of the many magic shops and see the tricks being demonstrated. There are shops at New York, New York (in the part of the shopping area nearest the casino) and the Aladdin (to the right of the casino as you enter from the Strip). There might still be one at Caesars.
• Don't waste time standing around for the pirate battle at "TI" (formerly Treasure Island). It was ruined by the image changeover.

Free Animal/Nature Attractions:

• The MGM Grand features the Lion Habitat, a naturalistic environment designed by noted feline expert and lion owner Keith Evans. 11am-11pm.
• The Bellagio has a beautiful Botanical Conservatory just inside the hotel lobby.
• The Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo is for the birds -- er, make that for bird lovers.
• The Mirage has a white tiger exhibit.

Free Automated Attractions:

• The fountains of Bellagio (every half hour until 8pm, then every 15 minutes until Midnight). For the best view, go to the patio of the Fontana Bar (one drink minimum).
• The volcano at the Mirage (nightly).
• The forum shops at Caesars Palace feature two water fountains with statues that wake up and move every hour. The one that is deeper into the mall provides a better show than the one in the center of the mall.
• Fremont Street (Downtown) is not much fun before dark if you're not there to gamble, but after dark the lights and music of the "Fremont Street Experience" are amazing, dusk-midnight. [www.vegasexperience.com] The Frommer's guide says that a good place to see it from is the balcony of the Fitzgerald casino.
• Don't waste time trying to catch the Sunset Stampede animatronic show that pops up every 2 hours at Sam's Town, unless you have young kids, perhaps.

Free Museum Exhibits:

• For 2006, Mayor Oscar Goodman is sponsoring a "100 Murals" centennial celebration that is creating 100 murals around downtown Las Vegas to celebrate Vegas' 100 years. For example, Cirque du Soleil placed their centennial mural at downtown's The Arts Factory.
• The Golden Nugget has the world's largest gold nugget on display.
• The Neon Musuem is on Fremont Street between Main St. and Las Vegas Blvd (outdoors) with dozens of renovated signs.
• The Tropicana has a museum called the Casino Legends Hall of Fame featuring pictures and stories about Las Vegas gambling luminaries and casino owners and various memorabilia from Las Vegas' past ($4 or free w/coupon). Allocate an hour or so.
• When at Mandalay Bay, check out the found object sculpture by Leonard Jones at the entrance to The House of Blues.
• Don't seek out the Showgirls Exhibit at the Rio. It turns out to be just a couple of tiny display cases off to the side of a lobby of one of the theaters.

Good Charged-for Attractions:

• The Star Trek experience at the Hilton now features 2 rides. The new one is called "Borg Invasion 4D," while original one has been dubbed "Klingon Encounter." Admission gets you one ride on each. Look for discount coupons at the visitor centers.
• The Shark Reef way in the back of Mandalay Bay is North America's only predator-based aquarium. In all, there are over 2,000 animals in 1.6 million gallons of seawater. It is presented as a walking audio tour with live tour guides stationed throughout. Daily from 10 a.m. - 11 p.m. $16 adults, $10 kids under 12. Allow at least two fun-filled hours.
• The secret is out on Siegfried and Roy's Dolphin Habitat and Secret Garden. It is an outstanding value at $10/person (kids under 10 are free w/adult), and extremely kid-friendly. Allow at least two hours: one to walk through all of the exhibits and another to just lounge around eating ice cream or drinking a slushie while watching the dolphins play.

Charged-for Attractions to Avoid:

• The Race for Atlantis simulator ride in the forum shops at Caesars Palace is way overpriced and not worth wasting time waiting in line.

Stage Shows

www.vegas.com/shows appears to be as good a site as any for getting up-to-date show information.

Spectaculars:

• The two Cirque du Soleil shows, "Mystere" and "O," are awesome. Don't even consider any other shows until you've seen either one of these (or both). Mystere is at Treasure Island and O is at the Bellagio. [www.cirquedusoleil.com]
• The Blue Man Group at the Venetian is fun for all ages. The front rows get splashed; otherwise, there's not a bad seat in the house. No photography is allowed inside, but there is a photo op with the blue men afterwards, so bring your camera anyway. [www.blueman.com]
• We're looking forward to experiencing Ovation at the Aladdin Desert Passage next time around.
• If you at all a fan of Queen's music, then you'll definitely enjoy "We Will Rock You" at Paris. Tweny of Queen's greatest hits are woven into a futuristic plotline that ain't half bad (speaking as a sci-fi fan).

Magic:

• Penn & Teller are up to their old tricks (and some new ones) over at the Rio. No photography is allowed during the show, but there are photo ops before and after, so bring your camera anyway. [www.pennandteller.com]
• Lance Burton's magic show at the Monte Carlo is considered one of the better show bargains on the Strip.
• Mac King's show at Harrah's is quite entertaining -- definitely one of the better afternoon shows.

Comedy:

• Rita Rudner is as funny as ever. She has a 3-year contract with New York, New York. Unfortunately, they put her in a room with uncomfortable, narrow seats, bad sight-lines, and no cocktail service (there's a drink cart outside). At least it's reserved seating, so you don't need to arrive until just before the start.
• The Tropicana's Comedy Stop is perhaps the best comedy room in town. Supposedly they pay better than the Improv and get better talent because of it. There are 3-4 comics nightly and the show lasts a little over an hour. The $18 tickets include 2 drinks. Look for coupons.
• You never know what'll happen when a case of improvisation breaks out, but The Second City troupe at the Flamingo had us in stitches the night we saw them.

Live Music:

• The MGM Grand's Entertainment Dome near the front of the casino offers better-than-average lounge acts performing on a huge stage (free).
• You can often catch R&B classics performed by the highly lauded Checkmates at either the Arizona Charlie's on Decatur or Arizona Charlie's on Boulder Highway.

Various:

• Fitzgeralds (downtown) has free showroom acts (1 drink minimum). See www.fitzgeraldslasvegas.com/entertainment_events/ for schedule.

Other Fun Stuff

For the guys, the best cocktail waitress uniforms are apparently at (in order):

1. The Orleans
2. Rio
3. Mandalay Bay

Arcades & Games:

• The New York New York has an awesome arcade that includes carnival games. If the tank battle game is still there it's worth every penny of the $2 to play. It's a 4 player sit down tank game that takes place on the streets of Tokyo.
• Sam's Town and the Orleans have large bowling alleys.

Weird Suff:

• According to www.cheapovegas.com, the men's room at Main Street Station has a chunk of the Berlin Wall on display, and you can urinate on it. (Note: There's 7-Eleven conveniently located is at the corner of Fremont St and Las Vegas Blvd, in case you want to chug down a Big Gulp first to ensure an enhanced experienced.)

Shopping

If you haven't seen the Alladin since it was rebuilt in 2000, you'll be impressed with the "Desert Passage" shopping mall that surrounds the casino and theater.

See www.vegas.com/shopping/ for a full directory of shopping areas.

Misc. Tips

Limiting Exposure to Smoke:

• Going to Vegas during the height of summer ensures that the air conditioning systems will be running full blast.
• Many people find that the downtown casinos require higher tollerance for smoke than the newer casinos on the strip, mostly because the newer casinos have higher ceilings.
• Watch out for show venues that allow smoking. For example, the Comedy Stop at the Tropicana has a non-smoking show at 8pm, but allows smoking at the 10pm show.
• Learn to play poker. Most of the poker rooms in Vegas have gone smoke-free.
• Visit the card clubs in California, where smoking has been outlawed. (Not true of the Indian reservation casinos.)

Going to Hoover Dam? Get there early to beat the heat and the crowds. The tour busses arrive in droves starting around noon, so be there by 11:30 at the latest. Allow several hours, as there is much more to see there than you'd think. The new visitor's center and museum exhibits are very nice. [www.hooverdam.com]

Alphabetical List of Hotels & Casinos

(Maps are at www.vegas.com/map.html.)